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Lynette Fromme
'Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme '''was a Manson Family member and the attempted assassin of U.S. President Gerald Ford. Background Lynette Fromme was born on October 22nd, 1948 to William Millar Fromme and Helen Benzinger. As a child, Fromme performed in a dance group known as the Westchester Lariats, which toured in both Europe and the United States during the 1950s and made appearances at the White House and on "''The Lawrence Welk Show". In 1963, Lynette and her family moved to Redondo Beach in Los Angeles County, California. During this time, she began to abuse drugs and alcohol and her grades at Redondo Union High School started dropping. However, despite the failing grades, Lynette graduated from high school in 1966. A few months later, she moved out of her parents' house before her father convinced her to attend El Camino College. The convincing did not last for very long because Lynette lived there for about two months before an argument between her and her father caused her to become homeless. Manson Family Member In 1967, Lynette Fromme went to Venice Beach all the while suffering from depression. During this time, she met Charles Manson and struck up a conversation with him. She found the attitudes and philosophies of Manson appealing and the two became quick friends and they traveled with other young people including Susan Atkins and Mary Brunner; who would soon become members of the "Manson Family". The Manson Family resided at the Spahn Ranch in Southern California and at the Barker Ranch in Death Valley, which was owned by the grandmother of one of the Manson Family's members. While living on the Spahn Ranch, George Spahn gave Lynette the nickname of "Squeaky" based on the sound she made when he touched her (i.e. running his hand up her thigh). After the arrest of Charles Manson and several of his followers for the 1969 Tate murders as well as the murders of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca, Lynette and several remaining members of the Manson Family camped outside Manson's trial and proclaimed his innocence. While Fromme herself was not charged with any involvement in the murders, she was convicted of attempting to prevent the incarcerated followers of Manson from testifying and holding contempt of court when she refused to testify against him which resulted in her facing short sentences to jail for both offenses. Sometime around 1972 following Manson's trial and her short jail sentences, Fromme moved to Stockton alongside Priscilla Cooper, Nancy Pitman, and ex-convicted Aryan Brotherhood members James Craig and Michael Monfort, in order to follow through on a deal that Manson had made with the Aryan Brotherhood. During that time, Monfort and Craig murdered James and Lauren Willett in order to prevent them from telling the authorities about their involvement in a series of robberies that they had committed after they were released from prison. When the bodies were discovered, Fromme and the group were arrested; however, she was released due to a lack of evidence of involvement in the Willett murders. When she got out of jail and left Stockton, Lynette Fromme and Sandra Good, another member of the "Manson family", moved into a dilapidated attic apartment in downtown Sacramento in order to be near Manson while he was in the Folsom Prison. Around 1973, Fromme began working on a 600-page book centering on the Manson Family which included intricate drawings and photos and received several contributions from other members. Fromme sent the book to publishers, but she dropped it after deciding that it was too "incriminating" after a discussion with Steve Grogan. Assassination attempt on President Ford On September 5th, 1975, Lynette Fromme went to Sacramento's Capitol Park dressed in a red robe and armed with a Colt M1911 .45 -caliber semiautomatic pistol in an attempt to assassinate 38th U.S. President Gerald Ford in order to make a statement to people who had refused to acknowledge and halt environmental pollution and the effects it had on Air, Trees, Water, and Animals. She attempted to fire a shot at Ford, but the gun didn't fire mainly because she wasn't aware of the fact that there was no bullet in the pistol's chamber at the time. As Fromme was shouting that the "gun didn't go off", she was brought to the ground and disarmed by Secret Service agent Larry Buendorf. Aftermath Following the assassination attempt of Gerald Ford, Lynette Fromme was charged with a life sentence. As she was being prosecuted during her trial, she refused to cooperate with members of her defense team even going as far as throwing an apple at the head of U.S. attorney Dwayne Keyes when he urged that Fromme's punishment should be severe based on how she was "full of hate and violence". In 1979, Fromme was transferred to Federal Prison Camp Alderson in West Virginia from the Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin, California after attacking fellow inmate Julienne Busic with a hammer. On December 23rd, 1987, Lynette escaped from Camp Alderson in an attempt to meet up once again with Charles Manson, who was suffering from testicular cancer at the time. She was captured two days later and incarcerated at the Federal Medical Center, Carswell in Fort Worth, Texas. Fromme was eligible for parole a total of three times before being released: once in 2005, once in 2008, and once in 2009. In 2005, she was entitled by federal law to a mandatory hearing after 30 years, but she had the choice to waive the hearing and apply for a later release date. She waived her right to request for a hearing which required her by federal law to complete a parole application before one could be considered and granted. In July 2008, Fromme was granted parole but due to the extra time she had added to her sentence succeeding her prison escape in 1987, she was not released. Finally, in 2009 on August 14th, Fromme was released on parole from the Federal Medical Center, Carswell and moved to Marcy, New York where she resided with her boyfriend Robert Valdner, an individual who was released from prison in 1992 following the manslaughter of his brother-in-law in 1988. Modus Operandi Since Lynette Fromme never really killed anyone while she was in the "Manson Family" or facing jail time, the term "M.O." may be misused. When she attempted to assassinate Gerald Ford, she pointed her Colt M1911 .45-caliber semiautomatic pistol at him and tried to shoot, but she was unaware that she never placed a bullet in the pistol's chamber until she was restrained by Larry Buendorf. Profile TBA Known Victims September 5th, 1975: Gerald Ford (attempted; survived) Somewhere between November 4th and November 19th, 1975: Dwayne Keyes (assaulted with an apple; survived) 1979: Julienne Busic (attacked with a hammer; survived) On Criminal Minds *Season One **"L.D.S.K." - Fromme's mugshot could be seen alongside the mugshots and photos of other infamous assassins. Sources https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynette_Fromme Category:Real People Category:Real Life Assassins Category:Real World Criminals Category:Real Criminals Referenced in Season One